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TIME TRAVELLING: HISTORICAL DAYS OUT IN SUFFOLK

Calling all time travellers (and parents of time travellers)! This year why not enjoy some historical days out and transport yourself back over a thousand years to Anglo Saxon Suffolk, a time when families lived together in roundhouses and kings were buried in treasure-filled ships?

In the 1960s and 70s, a group of architects spent several years uncovering an astonishing discovery in the Suffolk village of West Stow. What they had found was an ancient village, complete with 69 houses and 7 halls, once home to about 700 Anglo-Saxon people.

Part of the settlement has since been recreated, making West Stow a brilliant place for historical days out. It’s now a functioning village where time travellers can learn about ancient ways of life, watch re-enactments and even dress up as Anglo-Saxons themselves!

Come face to face with an Anglo-Saxon king at Sutton HooPhoto (c) Terry Robinson

Many incredible discoveries have been made just below the surface of Suffolk, but no-one expected to unearth an Anglo-Saxon ship burial in the grounds of Tranmer House near Woodbridge.

Thought to be the final resting place of Rædwald, King of the Eastern Angles, the Sutton Hoo ship burial contained a horde of undisturbed riches. In the burial chamber itself, archeologists uncovered a metalwork suit of armour, a shield and sword, a lyre, pieces of silver plate from the Eastern Roman Empire, and a now famous ceremonial helmet.

Today Sutton Hoo still sets the imaginations of aspiring time travellers alight, with a fascinating exhibition, solstice celebrations and historical talks. Visitors can even skip forward in time with a visit to Tranmer House, an Edwardian building where you can relive the days of the 1930s.

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